Fall 2016 School Psychology

[Medule]

9 hours ago, kingslayer said:

Got my first rejection!!! Indiana University Bloomington. Expected it--it was my first interview and I really had no idea what I was doing, I'm fat, and I'm an air head. My third interview will also be a rejection and I am coming to terms with this.

Also, I have two interviews tomorrow and I am not prepared at ALL. I'm so tired. Probably should have done what my friends did and waited until I was out of college before applying to grad school.

Yuuuuup. I've been rejected from 5 out of my 6 schools. Been out of my Masters program for 3 years now..... I'm tired and sad and contemplating selling organs just because. My organs, not someone else's.

[mircar]

I've applied to:

Western Carolina 

Winthrop

East Carolina

App State

 

I have an interview with Western Carolina, still waiting to here back from the others... really nervous. 

[kingslayer]

Had two interviews yesterday, and an interview offer today! I think/hope my first interview went well yesterday. I have two colleges that are tied for #1 due to the program/location/faculty. The faculty yesterday were really nice, the way they handled the interview was amazing. I felt comfortable asking and answering questions. It felt like they were a team. I'm trying not to get my hopes up because in some instances it felt like I was going to be accepted. At the same time, I've been mentally living there for months and living vicariously through the school's social media accounts. Already have an apartment picked out. They also have a PhD program, so if I decide to go that route I can always apply again. /hopes

@New Applicant Thanks! It stung for a moment, but then I remembered that I wasn't as excited about the prospect of living/going there than I was other colleges. Any interview offers?

@Medule Ouch, I'm sorry! Were they flat out rejections or rejections after interviews? Hopefully your last college will accept you!

[New Applicant]

@kingslayer I had 6 interviews so far and got 3 rejections without interviews. 

[ohhappyday]

^{Hey everyone having my first interview in a couple of days for one of the two interview invites i received.. so nervous. Anyone have any tips or recommendations?  Thanks so much}

[morningcup]

On February 21, 2016 at 4:02 PM, ohhappyday said:

^{Hey everyone having my first interview in a couple of days for one of the two interview invites i received.. so nervous. Anyone have any tips or recommendations?  Thanks so much}

Hey, I don't have too much advice, but from what I've experienced it's essential to be clear on why you're interested in school psychology vs. clinical or counselling psychology, and what aspects of the school psychologist role appeal to you. I would recommend reading NASP's description of a school psychologist if you haven't already. Dissect the role into its different parts (assessment, intervention, consultation,etc) and choose examples from your work/school history to illustrate why each excites you. Hope that helps! Good luck!

Edited February 22, 2016 by morningcup

[New Applicant]

Hi everyone!

If you get multiple offers, what factors do you take into account for choosing a school?

 

TIA!

[ohhappyday]

what is everyones plan if rejected to the schools you applied to? not trying to be extremely pessimistic here but trying to plan for the future if it does happen for me

[Doubles89]

To continue working and building hands on experience not a big deal, as I already work in a school were a chunk of what I do overlaps with school psychologists except for the evaluation piece. I would recommend building hands on experience, and just working a ton to make as much money as possible.

[Love3]

19 hours ago, New Applicant said:

Hi everyone!

If you get multiple offers, what factors do you take into account for choosing a school?

 

TIA!

I received three acceptances so far  and the more factors I account for, the more confused I am. I will share my list anyway. 

-Fit (professor's research interest and any specialization you are looking for in a program) 

-Internship placement

-Job placement 

-Climate of the program (how were the faculty and students when you visited, is it place that you would enjoy)

-POI reputation and productivity 

-Funding

-Location/Weather

You can also include the small statistic like how many people stay in the program and how many years until completion if you think it's important. I personally don't think these things are that important unless it's an extremely low percentage. 

I think it's also important for you to consider which factors matter the most/the least when weighing your options. Good luck with your decision. May it bring you happiness and no stress. 

 

[Fluffy-Bear]

On 2/22/2016 at 6:57 AM, morningcup said:

Hey, I don't have too much advice, but from what I've experienced it's essential to be clear on why you're interested in school psychology vs. clinical or counselling psychology, and what aspects of the school psychologist role appeal to you. I would recommend reading NASP's description of a school psychologist if you haven't already. Dissect the role into its different parts (assessment, intervention, consultation,etc) and choose examples from your work/school history to illustrate why each excites you. Hope that helps! Good luck!

Hey, how did your interview go?

[psychschool]

Hello I will apply to school psych eds and phD programs for fall 2017 and wanted to know everyones opinion on 

temple vs umass boston 

thx

[Anxiousapplicant01]

@psychschool I was accepted to both of those phd programs this cycle and those actually ended up being my 2 top choices. I ended up picking temple because that program is very balanced between clinical experience and research experience and I felt like a degree there would give me more options of what to do after graduation (academic positions, working in schools, etc). Also, faculty their are very laid back but still hard working which is a good fit for me. Additionally, they were a better research match for me. UMass Boston is still excellent and I think you should definitely apply to both programs and see what feels right for you and what your goals are. 

[psychschool]

2 hours ago, Anxiousapplicant01 said:

@psychschool I was accepted to both of those phd programs this cycle and those actually ended up being my 2 top choices. I ended up picking temple because that program is very balanced between clinical experience and research experience and I felt like a degree there would give me more options of what to do after graduation (academic positions, working in schools, etc). Also, faculty their are very laid back but still hard working which is a good fit for me. Additionally, they were a better research match for me. UMass Boston is still excellent and I think you should definitely apply to both programs and see what feels right for you and what your goals are. 

wow thx so much for your detailed answer. 

another question I had was is it harder to get an interview or is it harder to be accepted after the interviews have taken place? i hope that makes sense

[New Applicant]

@@Love3 Thank you !!!!

[New Applicant]

What is the difference between a fellowship and an assistantship?TIA!

[Tierani]

I've applied to and gotten interviews for UTK and Duquesne School Psychology PhD. Waiting on results. Does anyone know if UNC Chapel Hill school psych PhD sent out interview invites yet?

[kingslayer]

WARNING: This is basically a first world problems post. Probably going to cross post it on the whine thread as well.

I went into this process thinking "please just let me have an acceptance ANYWHERE" and now I have interviews and acceptances coming out of my ears. Two of them want to pay for my entire education, and the third has nominated me for a full tuition waiver for at least the first year--it would be free for me to go and learn. I'm at this standstill where I have no idea what I'm going to do. It's one of the most important decisions I will ever make. These are all great programs, I can see myself succeeding in each of them. It's a major problem because everyone is so nice to me. I'm probably going to make a pro/con list for each of them, give them to my mentors, and hash it out with them. My family will have a lot of say as well (probably all of it), since they are moving wherever I move.

Week 6 of 16 for my last semester of undergrad begins next week, though! Which is good--the stress is starting to mount up. I only need 11 units to graduate, but I'm taking 17 (including a capstone for each of my majors) on top of peer mentoring and internship. I'm basically at school/work from 8 AM-7:20 PM every day. I'd get a job on the weekend in order to save up money for when we move cross country (probably going to take out loans for that, ugh) but I really can't right now. I'm so tired.

Also, the impostor syndrome is intensifying. I don't even know if I'll succeed in grad school, even though I'd like to think I will. Grrr.

Hope you all are doing great and getting into programs you want!

Edited February 26, 2016 by kingslayer

[Anxiousapplicant01]

7 hours ago, New Applicant said:

What is the difference between a fellowship and an assistantship?TIA!

Fellowships you usually get your stipend plus tuition without working (or working one year instead of 4)  and assistantships you have a set amount of hours you work to earn your tuition remission and/or stipend. 

[Love3]

1 hour ago, kingslayer said:

WARNING: This is basically a first world problems post. Probably going to cross post it on the whine thread as well.

I went into this process thinking "please just let me have an acceptance ANYWHERE" and now I have interviews and acceptances coming out of my ears. Two of them want to pay for my entire education, and the third has nominated me for a full tuition waiver for at least the first year--it would be free for me to go and learn. I'm at this standstill where I have no idea what I'm going to do. It's one of the most important decisions I will ever make. These are all great programs, I can see myself succeeding in each of them. It's a major problem because everyone is so nice to me. I'm probably going to make a pro/con list for each of them, give them to my mentors, and hash it out with them. My family will have a lot of say as well (probably all of it), since they are moving wherever I move.

Week 6 of 16 for my last semester of undergrad begins next week, though! Which is good--the stress is starting to mount up. I only need 11 units to graduate, but I'm taking 17 (including a capstone for each of my majors) on top of peer mentoring and internship. I'm basically at school/work from 8 AM-7:20 PM every day. I'd get a job on the weekend in order to save up money for when we move cross country (probably going to take out loans for that, ugh) but I really can't right now. I'm so tired.

Also, the impostor syndrome is intensifying. I don't even know if I'll succeed in grad school, even though I'd like to think I will. Grrr.

Hope you all are doing great and getting into programs you want!

Just remember to breathe in the middle of all your busy days and remember how exciting it is that you made it to the next level. 

Good luck with your decision! Congrats! 

[Jaguar21]

Congrats to everyone on your acceptances! This may be a long shot but if anyone interviewed at UW Milwaukee for the PhD program and wouldn't mind sharing their experience there I would really like to hear about the in-person interview! Please message me if you went. I saw one person was already accepted there on the results page. Thanks so much! 

Good luck everyone

[DLS]

@Anxiousapplicant01 are people allowed to accept both a fellowship and an assistantship? 

[ibnbattuta]

I urge those of you who were given offers of admission to input the stipend information, if any, at http://www.phdstipends.com/ .  Knowledge is power, and congrats to those who were accepted.

[grad29]

16 hours ago, kingslayer said:

WARNING: This is basically a first world problems post. Probably going to cross post it on the whine thread as well.

I went into this process thinking "please just let me have an acceptance ANYWHERE" and now I have interviews and acceptances coming out of my ears. Two of them want to pay for my entire education, and the third has nominated me for a full tuition waiver for at least the first year--it would be free for me to go and learn. I'm at this standstill where I have no idea what I'm going to do. It's one of the most important decisions I will ever make. These are all great programs, I can see myself succeeding in each of them. It's a major problem because everyone is so nice to me. I'm probably going to make a pro/con list for each of them, give them to my mentors, and hash it out with them. My family will have a lot of say as well (probably all of it), since they are moving wherever I move.

Week 6 of 16 for my last semester of undergrad begins next week, though! Which is good--the stress is starting to mount up. I only need 11 units to graduate, but I'm taking 17 (including a capstone for each of my majors) on top of peer mentoring and internship. I'm basically at school/work from 8 AM-7:20 PM every day. I'd get a job on the weekend in order to save up money for when we move cross country (probably going to take out loans for that, ugh) but I really can't right now. I'm so tired.

Also, the impostor syndrome is intensifying. I don't even know if I'll succeed in grad school, even though I'd like to think I will. Grrr.

Hope you all are doing great and getting into programs you want!

Congratulations! Now you can take a big sigh of relief. It's well deserved. I think that's really awesome that a few programs are even offering to cover the cost of tuition. None of the Masters programs I applied to had funding as an option, so that's pretty cool you were able to find a few that did. Nice job. I'm just excited that I found out I have about 12 months of military benefits left that I didn't think I did, so I'll be saving around $12,000 more than I thought I would myself. Then I pay in-state tuition when I  was originally thinking I'd be paying out of state, which is another $1,500 or so - so instead of shipping out $30,000 for the program I'm now paying $16,500, which is hardly anything. I also decided to live in a $400 apartment with 4 other roommates instead of a $600 1 bedroom apartment by myself, which will save $4,000 off my cost of living expenses too. I guess all the hard work paid off! 

You mention "you don't even know if I'll succeed in grad school, even though I'd like to think I will". I feel very similar. I think that's common for students to doubt themselves. It's intimidating to visualize myself being a school psychologist, but I believe as you go through the classes and gain more practical experiences, by the time the internship year is finished it'll come on much more natural. It's just a matter of throwing yourself in the mess and absorbing as much as you can. Good luck to you in graduate school...you'll do great!

Edited February 27, 2016 by westy3789

[Love3]

3 hours ago, DestinyS said:

@Anxiousapplicant01 are people allowed to accept both a fellowship and an assistantship? 

Most schools don't offer you both at the same time or allow you to have both at the same time even if the fellowship is coming from an outside source other than the school. You can have a scholarship and an assistantship OR fellowship. Also, a fellowship one year and assistantship the following year(s) is acceptable. Another option is to have the fellowship and volunteer in a research lab or work on campus in a center. Check with your school to make sure but I talked to people at different schools and they have all said that you can't have a fellowship and assistantship at the same time.